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27th SFS Airmen cop top honors

  • Published
  • By Janet Taylor-Birkey
  • 27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Many compete, but few are chosen. And even fewer can be called the best.

But, 1st Lt. Megan Hall and Tech. Sgt. Paul Killgallon, both from the 27th Security Forces Squadron, have earned the right to be called the best.

Winning the Air Force level awards of Outstanding Security Forces Company Grade Officer of the Year and Outstanding Security Forces Flight Level Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, respectively, they were initially “nominated amongst all the 27th Security Forces Squadron … to compete for the annual outstanding security forces level awards,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Howard, 27th SFS.

Many compete, but only a few are chosen, said Chief Howard. “It is truly the very best of the very best. The award is extremely competitive.”

Competing internally in their squadron, Lieutenant Hall and Sergeant Killgallon then competed at the Air Combat Command level, followed by the Air Force level. The two will be recognized at the Worldwide Conference for Security Forces at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in April.

Nominated by their supervisors, Airmen are graded on the three primary categories of duty accomplishments, work in military and civilian community activities and self-improvement efforts that are career oriented.

“This is definitely a boost in their career. A milestone to launch them forward. This has given them that bit of credibility to be picked amongst their peers,” said Chief Howard, alone.

Both Airmen deployed to Baghdad, Iraq last year, but that alone did not win them the award. “It’s not that you deploy, that won’t win you anything, but it’s what you do when you do deploy. It has to be substantial enough to be recognized above your peers,” said Chief Howard.

To rise to the top means hard work. “One thing I tell our folks is hit the ground running and determine right away what … you can improve permanently for that base,” said Maj. Jeremy Novak, 27th Security Forces Squadron Commander.

Those improvements may mean facilitating new barrier plans, reinforcing a facility or moving thousands of Iraqi prisoners. “They worked closer with the military police company [in Baghdad] than folks have before and established a permanent relationship that is still going on for folks who deploy there,” said Chief Howard.

Both Chief Howard and Major Novak hold their Airmen up as examples. Citing three winnings out of nine categories, with two of those at the AF level, “No other base can hold those statistics in recent memory,” said Chief Howard. “No other base won as much as we did in individual awards this year.”

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